Setting up an external microphone on a laptop. How to check if a laptop has a microphone? The microphone is set to very quiet sound transmission
Now voice communication over the Internet is becoming increasingly popular, displacing the usual analogue, as well as the creation of streams and video tutorials. But for all this you need to connect the microphone to the computer and activate it. Let's see how this is done on a Windows 7 PC.
After you have connected the microphone plug to the corresponding connector of the system unit, you need to connect it in operating system. If you are using a standard laptop device, then, of course, you do not need to physically connect anything. Direct connection in both the case of a desktop PC and a laptop is made using the system tool "Sound". But you can go to its interface in two ways: through "Notification area" and with the help "Control Panels". Next, we will consider in detail the algorithm of actions when using these methods.
Method 1: Notification Area
First of all, let's study the algorithm for connecting a microphone via "Notification area" or, as it is otherwise called, the system tray.
- Right click ( RMB) by the speaker icon in the tray. In the list that opens, select "Recording Devices".
- The tool window will open "Sound" in the tab "Record". If this tab is empty and you only see a message indicating that the devices are not installed, then click RMB over the empty space of the window, in the list that appears, select "Show disabled devices". If, when you go to the window, the elements are displayed, then simply skip this step and move on to the next one.
- If you did everything correctly, the name of the microphones connected to the PC should appear in the window.
- Click RMB by the name of the microphone that needs to be activated. Select from the list that opens "Turn on".
- After this, the microphone will be turned on, as evidenced by the appearance of a check mark inscribed in the green circle. Now you can use this audio device for its intended purpose.
- If these steps did not help you, then most likely you need to update the driver. It is best to use the drivers that are included on the installation disk for the microphone. Just insert the disc into the drive and follow all the recommendations that will be displayed on the screen. But if it is not there or installation from disk did not help, then you should perform some additional manipulations. First of all, dial Win+R. In the window that opens, enter:
Click "OK".
- Will start "Device Manager". Click on its section "Sound Devices".
- In the list that opens, find the name of the microphone that you want to turn on, click on it RMB and select "Update".
- A window will open where you need to select an option "Automatic search...".
- After this, the required driver will be searched and installed if necessary. Now restart your PC and the microphone should start working.
In addition, you can use specialized software to search and update drivers on the machine. For example, you can use DriverPack Solution.
Method 2: "Control Panel"
The second method involves going to the window "Sound" and microphone activation via "Control Panel".
Turning on the microphone in Windows 7 is done using a system tool "Sound". But you can activate its window in two ways: through "Control Panel" and by clicking on the tray icon. You can choose the method that is most convenient for you, taking into account your own preferences. In addition, in some cases, reinstalling or updating the driver is required.
Most laptop models and webcams have a device for recording sound - a microphone. It is used not only for voice recording, but also for online communication. Owners of portable devices just need to run Skype program and order a test call to hear your voice and make sure the microphone is working properly. However, there are times when the microphone does not work. How to set up a microphone on a laptop?
Setting up a microphone on a laptop
The first thing to do is check if the microphone is turned on. To do this, click “Start” and “Control Panel”. Next, select “Hardware and Sound”.
A new dialog box will open. Go to the “Recording” tab. The recording devices will be shown here. The one marked with a green circle is a working microphone, ready for use.
If this tab does not contain any single device, it is worth taking the following steps. Click “Properties” in the “Recording” tab.
In the “Apply device” section, select “Use this device (on)”.
And the icon will appear.
Where is the microphone located on a laptop?
Quite a simple question to ask regular users: Where is the microphone on the laptop.
In most cases, the laptop microphone is located on the lower left side of the device's keyboard. However, if you are not sure about this or there is no special symbol on the laptop panel, open the “Sound” section in the “Control Panel” and go to the “Recording” tab. Lightly knock on the case, watching the dynamics jump. This is how we determine the location of the microphone.
Checking and installing the driver
The performance of the laptop also depends on the availability sound driver. To check if you have installed required driver, click “Properties” in the “Recording” tab, having previously selected the microphone.
In the “Controller” section, click “Properties” again.
A dialog box will open. If the “Device Status” section says “Your device is working normally,” then the drivers are up to date. sound card Everything is fine.
Adjusting the sound level
Go to the “Sound” window, “Recording” tab, “Microphone”, “Properties”, “Levels”.
The sound quality of your voice to your interlocutor depends on the first indicator. We recommend setting it to the maximum. The second indicator is used if the room is quite noisy.
Currently, we are accustomed to communicating via video, while actively using voice communication. With its help, people conduct video courses, video lessons of various kinds, etc. In this process plays an important role correct setting microphone on the device we are using. Now we will take a closer look at how to turn on the microphone on personal computer(PC) with Windows systems 7 and Windows 10.
First you need to connect the microphone to your computer. To do this, insert the microphone plug into the desired connector in system unit. If you use, for example, the built-in microphone in a laptop, then you don’t need to connect anything. Connecting the microphone to the PC occurs through the system tool "Sound". Now let's move directly to connection methods.
Method 1: Notification Area
Step 1. Right-click (RMB) on the speaker icon in the notification area (system tray). A list opens where we select "Recording Devices".
Step 2. The following tool window opens: "Sound". Go to the section "Record". If you see a message stating that no sound devices were found, then right-click on any empty space in the window. A list will appear where we select "Show disabled devices".
Step 3. If all actions were correct, then the names of the devices that are connected to the PC should appear.
Step 4. Right-click on the microphone we are going to use. In a new window select "Turn on".
Step 5. A check mark will appear next to the active microphone, indicating that it is turned on. Ready! You can use the microphone for its intended purpose.
However, there are times when the above steps do not help. This indicates that the driver needs to be updated. The microphone must come with a special installation disk with drivers. It must be inserted into the drive and follow the instructions that will be displayed on the screen. But even if this method did not help, there is an alternative:
Step 1. First, let's use a set of keys Win+R. A window will open where we enter the following:
devmgmt.msc
Click "OK".
Step 2. Will start "Device Manager". Click on the item "Sound Devices".
Step 3. In the drop-down list we find the name of our microphone, right-click on it and select "Update drivers".
Step 4. A window will open where we select "Automatic search...".
Step 5. After this, the driver will be searched for and installed. Then we restart the computer. The microphone should now start working.
Note that to install and update drivers automatically, you can use a specialized software(BY). A program like this would work well for this. DriverPack Solution .
Method 2. “Control Panel”
Step 1. Click "Start" - "Control Panel".
Step 2. Go to the section "Equipment and Sound".
Decades have passed since computers performed only computational operations. A modern laptop is a real multimedia center, its capabilities are not inferior to a fairly powerful one. desktop computer. Sound recording and playback is one of its main multimedia functions. To carry them out, a microphone and headphones are connected to the device.
And, if you can somehow manage without a microphone, then headphones have become an indispensable attribute of any PC user. However, now these two devices usually come together - only the cheapest headphones do not have a microphone. We will be interested in how to set up a microphone with headphones on a laptop running Windows 7.
The answer to the last question very often depends on the system configuration.
Before you configure the microphone connection and turn on the device, you need to understand the type of sound card in your laptop.
There are built-in and external sound adapters. The built-in audio adapter is located right on the motherboard laptop, and the external one is connected to the computer with a USB cable. Jacks for connecting headphones with a microphone are located on the outer panel of the sound card. You should check if there are nests with black and green markings. The red jack is for a microphone, and the green (or black) jack is for headphones.
Some important details
External sound interfaces for laptops Windows control may be provided with additional markings. Labels like “Headphones” or “Mic” also indicate that our device can be plugged into this connector.
It is quite difficult to make a mistake in finding a place where you can plug in the headphones, because... The nests differ from each other in both size and shape. Only owners of branded studio equipment will connect in a non-standard way, through intermediate correction amplifiers.
Computers with installed Windows Audio equipment connections are usually easy to detect. Only in some cases it may be necessary to install a driver before it becomes possible to turn on and configure the headphones.
In this case, look for drivers in the box with the device. Hardware setup of headphones rarely causes any difficulties. If everything is done correctly, then in order to turn on and off the device in a laptop with Windows, you just need to connect or disconnect it from the connector.
Software adjustment
Windows 7 offers the user advanced tools for adjusting the parameters of headphones with a microphone. With it, you can adjust the sound quality of the device or temporarily turn off the sound on your laptop. To access the corresponding tools, go to "Control Panel" Windows and click on the line “Sound”. Next we do this:
- We go to the “Recording” tab and perform the first test of our device, which is recognized by Windows as "Built-in microphone". To check its functionality, click on the “Properties” button and go to the “Listen” tab.
- Check the box "listen with of this device» , put the connected headphones on your head and speak into the microphone. If your voice is heard in the headphones, then everything is in order, but if there is a whistle, then not everything is in order and the device is not recognized or is faulty. You should disable it, then enable it (possibly by restarting Windows) and try again.
- Checking the sound is only half the battle. You need to adjust its level. For this purpose there is a tab called “Level”.
